Posts Tagged ‘baby knits’

Melissa, a regular reader of this little blog, has a question for fellow Fearless Knitters.

She’s just finished all the pieces for a blue cardigan sweater for her one-year old granddaughter. Because it’s the third sweater she’s knit for this precious human and because she’s an adventuresome knitter (among other qualities), she’d like to try something a bit different.

I’m thinking of lining the baby cardigan. Does anyone have advice on what the best fabric is to use — a lovely fun printed cotton or a very light flannel? I understand how to cut and assemble the inside garment, but I wonder what tricks or problems I should to watch out for – for best results. Thank you in advance.

Please leave any tips or recommendations in the comments.

In other baby knit news, the recently-completed log cabin blanket seems to fit in just fine. I resisted the urge to tell his mother that she’s got it inside out — she’s the nursing mother of a two-month old and has infinitely more important priorities than decorating.

I haven’t forgotten that I promised to tell you about the Strung Along Retreat. In a word, fabulous. More soon. Really.

Like this:

I’d figured out about a month ago that the log cabin blanket would be bigger than your usual baby blanket. OK, I figured it as soon as I started. The pattern is called Log Cabin Throw — no mention of “baby” at all.

One of the marvelous things about babies is that they grow. Baby Sawyer was born about two months ago, but I’ll get to meet him later this week. Someday he’ll be big enough to wrap this blanket around himself. Until then, his loving mama and papa can snuggle up with him.

Although it’s not my first choice, I used acrylic yarn for this blanket. I figure — and really hope — this gets many years of use and want to be sure it survives regular washings.

Like this:

Since it’s now too big to be a traveling project, the Log Cabin Throw hasn’t been getting much attention lately. Every day, I tuck my latest sock into my bag as I head to Mom’s home and spend at least a few hours knitting.

She’ll often knit her latest garter stitch scarf or will putter about the apartment or go through the mail. Like many things in her life these days, the mail is both a burden and a routine that brings consistency to her otherwise confusing world.

Although it’s nearly all fundraising appeals, she often reads each piece, not comprehending much of it, before either tearing it into small pieces for recycling or “responding” by placing the appeal letter into the reply envelope and tracing the stamp location with an orange marker.

I remind myself often these days that many of her actions are her way of exerting control over what she can control, even if the action doesn’t really make much sense to me.

The intended recipient of the Log Cabin Throw was born about 10 days ago. I have it from very good sources that he is absolutely lovely. Hannah, who held him in his second day of life, declared him “flawless.”

He’s got lots of growing to do, and the throw, modeled here in the cool spring sunshine, will get there eventually.

Like this:

I’ve got two projects for babies-to-be going at the moment and am this close to casting on a new pair of socks with some lovely yarn that I got at the knitting guild yard sale. But baby knits have deadlines, so the socks shall wait.

As would be expected with bulky yarn, the log cabin throw is the faster growing of the two.

The back and front sections of the Patches Baby Sweater are done and blocking. I’ve started the first sleeve and decided to modify the pattern by knitting it in one piece rather than two segments.

Mom finished another garter stitch scarf yesterday. As you can see from her clothing, she’s quite partial to the crimson, fuschia, pink color range. Malabrigo never disappoints.

Once I realized that my self-striping sock yarn wouldn’t work for a top-down baby sweater — because the body would be too large for the colored sections to become stripes — I searched for a new pattern. As usual, I spent a long time down the rabbit hole that is Ravelry but eventually found a good match for a baby cardigan made with sock yarn: Patches Baby Sweater

Lucky for me, the library had a copy of Sock Yarn One-Skein Wonders, so I didn’t need to buy the pattern. But I must admit I’m tempted to buy the whole book. As my stash can attest, I’ve got quite an affinity for sock yarn!

The sweater is constructed from a series of knitted strips that are joined as you go.

After I’d knit the first strip (on left in photo above), I decided that I wanted the sweater to have more variety than a series of equally-sized stripes/blocks would provide. So for the second strip (on right), I starting knitting with two balls of yarn, which gave me the option to choose the width of the stripes.

If you follow from the lower border, you can see that after knitting the gray garter stitch border, I knit six rows of blue stockinette stitch, then switched to four rows of gray, then four blue, then six rows of yellow.

The joining isn’t always quite as smooth as I’d like, but I’m getting the hang of it as I go. Here’s the back after three strips.

Yesterday evening, after I’d bound off the third strip and wove in the end, I realized that it was a row or two shorter than strip #2. And, to make matters worse, I realized strip #2 was a couple rows shorter than the first strip!

There’s no way I’m going to rip all this out. Instead, I think I’ll just pick up the bound off edge and add a couple rows. Stay tuned for how that goes!

In other knitting news, Mom finished another garter stitch scarf.

This one is made with a bright, beautiful worsted from Lady Dye Yarns. The colorway, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, is discontinued, but you should definitely check out her beautiful yarns, project bags, and pins. How great are these?! Click on the images to see more of her great products.

Like this:

Now that December is upon us and gift-giving holidays are fast approaching (Chanukah begins tomorrow evening), many knitters have projects on the needles and are facing deadlines. I’ve heard that some are freaking out beginning to fret about whether they’ll finish in time — knitting a big of anxiety into each stitch ;-)

Giving a handmade gift feels wonderful. I must confess that I often wonder how often the recipient actually uses or wears the gift. That’s no different than any gift you might give. Did they ever read that book or wear those earrings or use that kitchen gadget?

So I’m always particularly pleased to know that one of my handknits is being enjoyed. For example, getting a text extolling the power of handknit socks. I was delighted to learn last week that a scrumptious baby was wearing his cardigan and hat for the last time (Baby Vertebrae sweater in Neighborhood Fibre Co’s “Old Towne East” colorway).

One of the many delightful attributes of small humans is that they grow, so there’s an ongoing need for new knits.

Like this:

I thoroughly enjoyed making a Baby Vertebrae sweater for a friend’s Baby-to-Be. The name is a bit puzzling. My brother asked, “what’s up with that baby spine sweater?”

The pattern gets its name (I presume) because the sweater covers the baby’s back and not its front – an open front makes better snuggling and less cleaning of inevitable spit-ups and dribbles. Plus, no buttons, button holes, or button bands.

Like this:

In the midst of breath-stopping tragedy and rage from my country’s latest mass murder, finishing a knitting project for a baby-to-be has been a welcome respite. When the project made its last appearance on the blog, I was in search of buttons and had cast on for a little pair of shorts (or, as the pattern called it, a diaper cover).

My search for green buttons yielded lots of unsuitable options – pastels, leaf, pine — but not the bright apple green that I wanted. So I switched to pink and found the perfect pair.

Before sewing them on the top, I finished the bottom (if you’ll pardon the expression!). The pattern called for longer ribbing on the “legs” that would then be folded over like a cuff. Since this will be for an infant who won’t be moving much at all, I decided about six rows of ribbing would be plenty.

The seed stitch pattern makes the flowers look a little wonky but so what? Although there’s not really a front or back on the cover, I think of this side as the back. The flower pattern lands on the waist (something a baby doesn’t even have!) on the other side, which seems more front-ish.

There’s probably enough yarn left for a little hat or two. For another baby at another time, I think.

Once I was done weaving in the ends on the diaper cover, I untwisted the yarn and sewed on the buttons.

I’m quite pleased with the results and expect the mother-to-be will be, too.

Lest I get tempted by another project, I immediately cast on the next striped sock because, you know, Second Sock Syndrome is real.

Like this:

Last Sunday, the lovely, almost-finished Wee Penny had an unfortunate encounter with a platter of baked chicken — with some tasty but messy sauce, to be precise. If I wasn’t the type of knitter who usually washed a finished project before blocking, I would have become one!

A good sudsy soak and swish in the sink plus a couple of rinses in cool water did the trick. I lay out the little dress on a towel and placed a couple of pins along the neck so it would drive evenly.

I need to find two small buttons for the back opening. I think green would be nice. Agree?

Since I had just under half a skein of the lovely Hayfield Baby Blossom remaining, I decided that I’d make “an outfit.” Rather than a hat or booties (which are cute but, given their tendency to slip off and get lost, kind of ridiculous for an infant IMO), I decided on a pair of “shorts” or, as I discovered after perusing Ravelry, is more commonly called a “diaper cover.”

Eventually I’ll get to the second sock, but for now, I’m having fun with baby knits.

Like this:

I haven’t bought any much yarn in the past six months or so, which I consider a feat of enormous willpower. The Hayfield Baby Blossom DK doesn’t really count because baby yarn isn’t a regular part of my stash, and I can’t not knit a gift for a future member of my extended family.

Besides, who’s counting? There are no knitting stash police. And the Wee Penny is progressing nicely, don’t you think?

Imagine my delight, when I arrived to teach Knitting 101 this morning at The Stitch House and discovered they were having a bit of a sale.

In the interest of supporting a local yarn store and boosting the local economy and because I’d donated several bags of stash yarn to a local library’s upcoming yarn sale, I felt almost compelled to buy a few skeins. Wouldn’t you?

Sock yarn is always a good buy because I know what I’ll make with it. This skein of Done Roving Yarn’s “Frolicking Feet” in the Peacock colorway caught my eye. I don’t think it’s self-striping, but the colors will suit my Michael quite nicely I think. Plus it’s made in my home state of Maine, so I was almost required to buy it!

A sparkly skein in the clearance basket caught my eye. At less than $4.00, how could I resist?

Like this:

I have the great good fortune of living only five miles from my Mom and visit often, more so lately as my work commitments and travels have diminished. Part of every visit — whether we’re doing errands, specific household tasks, or just hanging out — includes some sorting through of old photographs.

At least once a week, I come home with a few photos from my childhood. Third grade school photo? Check. Image of brothers and me in Easter finery? Check. Blurry shot of relatives or neighborhood friends? Check.

As with many (most?) families, my mother was the repository of the family record — not just taking photos but also putting them into albums or envelopes (some labeled, some not). As life with four children, a husband who worked long hours, and her own civic and volunteer commitments, the photo labeling diminished.

Fortunately, I developed the habit of writing dates and names on the back of photos when I was about 12. That’s how we know that this motley crew at Rummel’s Ice Cream included friends Beth and Margie, California cousins Brian, Bruce, and Doug, plus my three brothers and me. Ah, 70s style!

This week’s photo sorting yielded some possible treasures — negatives from my Mom’s childhood and some of her elder relatives.

I find the reverse negatives (is that a thing?) difficult to “read,” but in some images, I can identify the subjects by their size or features. For example, this is my Mom and her three sisters, probably in the mid 1930s..

I’m planning a trip to our local library to see if there’s a viewer or projector of some kind that I can use to see the images more clearly. There’s a terrific camera and photography shop nearby — the kind that sells film and developing chemicals — where I’ll have some prints made. This one may be my Mom’s father with her and her two older sisters (again, the hair bows!). He died when my mother was 9, so images of him are especially precious.

On the knitting front, the Wee Penny has been joined in the round and is growing. What’s up in your world?

Like this:

Despite its size, I find New York a remarkably easy city to navigate. Walking and the much maligned MTA subway were are sole modes of transportation this weekend. Keeping to my daily routine, I headed out from our hotel in Downtown Brooklyn for a solo walk early Saturday morning. After a mile or so, I discovered a yarn store (of course!) Alas, Woolyn wouldn’t open for several hours, so I just peeked through the window and snapped a photo.

Brooklyn Waterfront Park is a creative, accessible, and — on a mild, sunny, late-winter morning — truly beautiful public asset. On the edge of a renovated pier, I watched the Staten Island Ferry land at Battery Park, the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island in the distance (New Jersey, too). As always, I sent a silent prayer of thanks to my father, who arrived at Ellis Island in 1939.

After a tasty lunch with Hannah in East Williamsburg, we boarded the subway to Manhattan, transferring to the legendary A train for the journey to 190th Street near the northern tip of the island. Hannah did the New York Times’ crossword puzzle on her phone while a fellow passenger practiced guitar.

After a 10-minute walk through Fort Tryon Park, we arrived at The Cloisters, an exceptional museum “dedicated to the art, architecture, and gardens of medieval Europe.” A selection:

There’s an extensive collection of tapestries, the most famous of which are the likely the Unicorn Tapestries. Given their age (more than 500 years old), travels, and centuries of less-than-ideal environmental conditions, they’re in remarkable condition. I didn’t even try to capture the detail or colors or scale. I hope you can see them yourself one day.

Our evening included dinner with cousin Kathy, followed by a performance of “The Band’s Visit.” There really is nothing like live theater. The subway ride back to Brooklyn provided the perfect opportunity to dissect the day, marvel at our great good fortune, and get in a few more rows of the Wee Penny.

Like this:

There’s much I miss about not having any children living at home (at least, most of the time), but being able to easily plan a weekend away isn’t one of them.

Yesterday afternoon, Patrick and I hopped in the car and drove a few hours to Stamford, CT where we left the car and boarded a commuter train to New York. Since we’d caught an express train, we arrived a full 90 minutes before we were due to meet Hannah for dinner, a 40-minute walk away.

What to do? We had the same thought at almost the same moment: the famed Oyster Bar in Grand Central Station (of course!)

Patrick enjoyed a half dozen (minus one for me) raw oysters and some delicious oyster stew. We had a lengthy, enjoyable chat with a Swiss lawyer on the next stool, who was savoring his two dozen oysters plus a half bottle of wine.

By the time we’d finished our brisk 37-block walk to the East Village, we’d worked up an appetite for our second meal!

Like this:

The sock is done and looks quite nice. It’s a bit big for my foot, but it’s not meant for me. I don’t know the eventual recipient yet, but I know it’s not me. That’s not a problem.

Here’s the problem: I’ve come down with Second Sock Syndrome. Instead of casting on this sock’s mate, I’ve fallen for a clever yarn and the prospect of a baby knit.

The trigger was the arrival of an invitation to a baby shower for a marvelous young woman, who’s also a first cousin once removed. As soon as I learned of her pregnancy, I began thinking of what to knit the lucky baby-to-be.

What? That’s not the usual reaction to pregnancy news?!

Before heading to Mom’s house today, I zipped to a nearby yarn store and grabbed a skein of Hayfield Baby Blossom DK. It’s patterned but not exactly self-striping and knits up with banners (kind of like stripes) interspersed with little flowers.

I’m just getting started so you’ll have to trust me on this one.

As for the Second Sock — you’ll have to trust me that it’ll get finished someday. I promise to share.

Like this:

I wasn’t really looking for a new project when I walked into Flock over the weekend, but it would have taken nerves of steel not to have purchased something. I know there are people who only knit one project a time — I even met a knitter who stated as much with great pride (stunning!) — but I’m not one of those knitters!

One of the employees at my local coffee shop is due with her first child at the end of August, and I’m a sucker for baby knits. I was tempted by the collection of cute toys in the shop window, but frankly, I was looking for something a bit simpler.

Sheila, who’d knit the sample, provided some additional notes for the pattern and a yarn recommendation. I don’t know if the B2B* is a boy or girl, so I chose a gender-neutral combination (even though I truly believe all colors are for everyone).

I decided on Anzula’s “Cricket,” a delicious DK blend of superwash merino with a touch of cashmere and nylon, in Gravity (gray) and Keola. Casting on will have to wait until I get home where my needles are. What’s on your needles these days?

Like this:

I haven’t knit anything baby-ish in a while, but the Gidday Baby sweater (Tosh DK in Leopard and Maple Leaf) and reminds me how enjoyable such projects can be. Starting with the first few rows of garter stitch in alternating colors, I was hooked.

My recent spate of travels gave me lots of opportunities to work on the sweater — with the exception of my ill-fated Kentucky trip during which I found myself without the necessary next ball of yarn. In case anyone’s still wondering, my suitcase did arrive at the hotel — about an hour before I checked out and headed for flight back to Boston. Better late than never and all that.

Once I’d cast off and woven in the few ends that remained, I tossed the sweater into the sink for a pre-block soak. I’m a full-water blocker, preferring it to steaming, assuming that I’ve got the time, which I generally do. After I patted it into shape, I left it in the sunshine for a while.

Something was missing, namely a couple of tiny buttons to hold the yoke together. So the sweater and I spent about 15 minutes at a nearby yarn store trying on different buttons before deciding on these stylish, square-ish pair.

It’s all come together quite nicely, and I’m looking forward to walking it down the street to my newest neighbor.

Like this:

There’s a new person our street, a baby girl born last month, and that is a cause for celebration! And how does (this) one celebrate a new life? By knitting something small that isn’t a pair of socks.

I showed what I consider remarkable fortitude by searching through my stash for yarn with which to make something for this new little one. It would have been much, much easier and more efficient to spend an hour at my local yarn store, perusing patterns and buying yarn. As much as I love to boost the local economy and support a local business, I’m trying to exercise some financial discipline when it comes to yarn. Plus there’s the space issue: how many plastic boxes of yarn can one person have?

I’d already decided against a traditional pink, preferring to go with a blend of bright and neutral colors. Gidday Baby by Tikki Knits seemed like the perfect match for the two skeins of Madeline Tosh DK that I bought last summer at the lovely fLoCk on Nantucket.

On my flight to Philadelphia this past weekend, I cast on and worked a few rounds.

Switching colors every two rows and bringing up the yarns along the side made for quick knitting. Of course, after two rounds of 20+ stitch increases, my pace slowed a bit. On the train down to Washington on Sunday afternoon, I managed a couple more rounds after doing some prep for client meetings.

Like this:

Via my wonderful friend Cathie, a lesson in the resourcefulness of knitters and the durability of knitting. Picture this:

Skilled attorney, frequent flyer, intrepid knitter Cathie in the airport lounge where she’s passing the time during yet another Air Canada flight delay. Cup of coffee and suitcase by her side. In a perfect example of the domino effect, suitcase tips, knocks over coffee, which spills into open knitting bag at her feet, soaking her knitted baby blanket.

After some choice words (I wasn’t there but I’m pretty sure she wasn’t silent during said event), Cathie calmly takes blanket to wash room, rinses in sink (cool water, of course), squeezes excess water, and returns to lounge,

where the beautiful blanket is draped over the offending suitcase to dry.

Like this:

Gillan, a fiber artist who’s one of the Fearless Knitters in my weekly knitting class, made an adorable baby hat. Don’t you agree?

Since it seemed a little bare on top, she asked for advice for some kind of finishing detail. She had crocheted a flat flower, complete with multi-colored petals, but that didn’t seem right. Neither did a pom-pom. Either one would have hidden, or at least obscured, the beautiful detail of the decreases on the hat’s crown.

My recommendation was a two-color tassel, which would provide a nice finishing touch while allowing the crown stitching to shine through. Knitting designer and teacher Lisa McFetridge has a helpful video tutorial on how to make a tassel. Lisa was the instructor on last fall’s Sheep Ahoy Knitter’s Cruise. (Doesn’t a Boston – Bermuda cruise in July sound pretty tempting right about now?! Check it out. I believe space is still available.)

Like this:

There are few life events better than becoming a grandparent. At least, that’s what new grandparents tell me. It’s not a transition I expect to be making anytime soon.

My dear friend Pat is justifiably besotted with her first granddaughter, a lovely, bright-eyed sprite born in mid-May to Pat’s son and his sweet wife. As Pat’s own birthday approached last month, I pondered how to mark that occasion and decided that a baby sweater would be the perfect gift. I know, I know, it’s not an item she can use herself, but what’s a gift anyway but something with personal meaning that’s given with love?

Although the Baby Steps Cardigan is knit entirely in garter stitch, with nary a purl in sight, the construction is clever. I learned how to do a provisional cast-on (used white “waste” yarn), so I could pick up and make the sleeves. I just love the hues of the Mermaid colorway in the Manos Silk Blend.

The back is knit from the center out with regular yarnovers that create a star burst (of sorts).

Did I mention how much I love the colors?

Choosing the right button took a while. I was drawn — as I usually am — to the blues and purples, but they didn’t stand out as much as the smooth, lemony one that I finally selected.